Coreopsis plant named &#39;lightning flash&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Coreopsis  plant named ‘Lightning Flash’ characterized by the bright golden yellow foliage in the spring and on youngest foliage throughout the season, a tall, upright habit, bright golden daisy like flowers with dark centers, late summer and fall flowering season, and excellent vigor.

BOTANICAL DESIGNATION

Coreopsis tripteris

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘Lightning Flash’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct plant of Coreopsisand given the cultivar name ‘Lightning Flash’. Coreopsis is in thefamily Asteraceae. This new cultivar originated as a chance seedling ina bed of Coreopsis tripteris seedlings at the nursery in North Carolina.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Lightning Flash’. Thesecharacteristics in combination distinguish ‘Lightning Flash’ as a newand distinct cultivar:

-   1. Bright golden yellow foliage in the spring and on youngest    foliage throughout the season-   2. Tall, upright habit-   3. Bright golden daisy like flowers with dark centers-   4. Late summer and fall flowering season-   5. Excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation(division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identicalcharacteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by cuttingsand tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques withterminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that theforegoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environmentwithout a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

FIG. 1 shows a two year old Coreopsis ‘Lightning Flash’ growing in theground in the trial field in full sun in August in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows a close up of the flowers.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Coreopsis cultivarbased on observations of a two-year-old specimen grown in the ground infull sun under typical outdoor conditions in the trial fields inSeptember in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map.Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to an averageof 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches peryear. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart.

-   Plant:    -   -   Type.—herbaceous perennial.        -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4.        -   Size.—50 cm wide and 90 cm tall to top of flowers.        -   Form.—clumping.        -   Vigor.—excellent.        -   Roots.—fibrous, thickened, Yellow White 158A; roots develop            easily from crown divisions.-   Stem:    -   -   Type.—ascending.        -   Size.—80 cm tall and 7 mm wide.        -   Internode length.—15 to 54 mm.        -   Surface.—glaucous.        -   Color.—Yellow Green 148D to 148C at the base.-   Leaf:    -   -   Type.—compound, tripartite, some basal leaves with the            middle leaflet 3-parted.        -   Shape.—ovate overall, lobes narrowly oblong lanceolate,            terminal lobe is the longest, grows to 9 cm long and 9 mm            wide, side lobes grow to 6.6 cm long.        -   Arrangement.—opposite.        -   Blade size.—grows to 10 cm long and 8 cm wide.        -   Margins.—entire.        -   Apex.—acute.        -   Base.—attenuate.        -   Petiole description.—grows to 4 cm long, 1.5 mm wide,            clasping, glabrous, Yellow Green 147B.        -   Surface texture.—glabrous on both sides.        -   Venation.—pinnate.        -   Color.—spring and early summer — Top side Yellow 3B on both            sides with older leaves darkening to a combination of Yellow            Green 153C and Green 146B (bottom closest to Yellow Green            146D) summer — Yellow Green 153C with lower leaves Yellow            Green 147B with bottom sides the same.-   Immature inflorescence: globular, 6 mm wide and 8 mm deep, glabrous,    Greyed Green 197A with Yellow Green 151C on tip-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Type.—sub-corymbose, with 3 to 9 capitula per branch and 13            branches per stem.        -   Peduncle.—grows to 5.5 cm long and 0.8 mm wide, glabrous,            Yellow Green 146B.        -   Capitula size.—4.5 cm wide and 1.3 cm deep.        -   Ray florets.—8 in number, no pistil or stamen, broadly            elliptic, the tip three notched, acute, margins entire, base            obtuse, grows to 23 mm long and 9 mm wide, glabrous and            Yellow 12A on both surfaces, 1 mm claw at base.        -   Cone.—flat topped, grows to 11 mm wide and 4 mm deep, Greyed            Purple 187A.        -   Disc florets.—Corolla — 4 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, tubular,            4 lobed, Greyed Purple 187B closest to lobes and on main            veins to Yellow White 158A on tube inside and out, glabrous            Pistil — 9 mm long, 2-branched stigma 1 mm long extruding            from the corolla, Greyed Purple 187A, style 4 mm long, Green            Yellow 1C, ovary 3 mm long, Green Yellow 1C Stamen — 4,            filaments 3 mm long, extruding, Black 202A, pollen Yellow            12C.        -   Phyllaries.—in 2 alternating series, each with 8 lobes,            series closet to ray florets, ovate, entire, acute, 7 mm            long and 3 mm wide, overlapping, glabrous, Greyed Green            197A; lower series with lobes linear, 4 mm long and 1 mm            wide at the base, entire, acute, glabrous, Yellow Green            146B.        -   Bloom period.—late August through September in Canby, Oreg.        -   Fragrance.—none.-   Seed: None produced as there was no other plant to outcross with    -   -   Fertility.—fertile.-   Disease and pests: Coreopsis are susceptible to mildew and fungal    spots. No known resistances on the new cultivar.

COMPARISONS TO SIMILAR COREOPSIS

Compared to Coreopsis tripteris, the new cultivar differs in its uniquegold foliage color.

1. A new and distinct Coreopsis plant as herein illustrated anddescribed.